New Jersey’s top cannabis regulator said the state had officially exceeded $2 billion in medical marijuana and recreational marijuana sales. He also encouraged legislators to explore the option of giving medical cannabis users a home-grow option.
Jeff Brown, Executive Director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, made these comments at a hearing on marijuana before the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee, which was held Thursday.
“Today, I am also proud to announce a new milestone. Brown stated that since we began this work in 2018, the cumulative sales of medicinal cannabis and recreational marijuana have exceeded $2 billion. The “vast majority of these sales” have occurred over the last two years, following the launch of New Jersey’s adult use marijuana market.
He said that as of yesterday, at noon, the total cannabis sales were close to $2,000,000,000. “I’d love to give credit to the CRC, but the entrepreneurs have put their money, lives, and dreams at risk to make this possible.”
Brown, who recently predicted that the state would “reach and exceed” a $1 Billion annual cannabis sales milestone in this year, also responded to a question from a committee about the lack of home-grown options for medical marijuana users.
He began by explaining the decrease in cannabis patient registrations, recognizing that the process of becoming a patient is time-consuming and costly. The emergence and popularity of adult-use marijuana may also be contributing to this trend.
Brown stated that home cultivation was not within his purview as a regulator. However, he said that he “would encourage the legislator to examine it and do your due diligence” on this.
He said, “We hear about home growing all the time. Patients tell us that they’d like to be able to do it.” “I’m aware that our neighbors in New York and Connecticut, as well as Massachusetts, all allow home growing. From where I am, we have no jurisdiction. “I would encourage you to do your due diligence.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D), who has been asked about the issue of home-grown marijuana on multiple occasions, said he was “very open-minded,” but felt that the adult-use industry needed to mature before this option could be widely available.
The governor also hailed a “huge landmark” for the marijuana industry in his state last week when regulators announced that more than 100 adult-use and medical cannabis shops are now open throughout the state.
The committee chair stated that Thursday’s hearing, which included testimony by a grant recipient and union organizer as well as other stakeholders, was the first of two planned meetings on cannabis legalization.
At the end of the pun-filled discussion, Reginald Atkins (D), Chairman of the New Jersey State Senate, said: “This industry is bringing about the next wave of growth for New Jersey.”
A representative of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said in his testimony that while New Jersey has “taken significant steps” regarding marijuana reform, federal oversight is “crucial for ensuring consistency and responsibility across state borders.”
He said: “We need to work together in order to secure comprehensive federal legislation which protects the rights and interests of cannabis workers across the country.”
The equity grantee who spoke at the hearing discussed how important it is for the state to provide funding opportunities in order to promote diversity within the New Jersey marijuana industry. She argued that access to capital and education are the two biggest barriers to entry.
In December, New Jersey began accepting applications for the Second Phase of a Cannabis Social Equity Funding Program, which offers $150,000 in grants and eight weeks of technical support to those who are selected.
In December, the governor and state attorney general separately announced the recipients of $5.2 million in hospital-based violence-intervention grants funded with revenue from state-legal marijuana.
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The state has been working to improve the marijuana law. This includes rules for expanded edible products and newly finalized rules that allow cannabis consumption lounges.
The Commission has already waived some requirements for the sale of additional marijuana edibles.
NJ-CRC also considered adopting new regulations that would create a permit that would allow “clinically oriented” cannabis dispensaries enter into partnerships to carry out cannabis research using products they grow or sell patients.
New Jersey legislators have submitted over a dozen cannabis related bills for this session. These include marijuana commerce interstate, home-grow, banking, and employment protection.
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Photo by Mike Latimer.
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